No better place for all of your basketball betting needs than our NBA picks. We have the best in-depth analysis for all four games of tonight’s schedule plus the winner of each game.
Will the Steph Curry show continue in Cleveland? Who will win the showdown between the overachieving, shorthanded Lakers and the red-hot Celtics?
We have all of the answers for you below so you don’t want to miss this.
Milwaukee Bucks @ Atlanta Hawks – 7:30PM ET
The question of the night is whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will return to the lineup after missing Milwaukee’s last six games with a knee injury. While it looks like the Bucks may not need him of late, winning two straight by an average of 31 points, they have to travel to Atlanta to take on the red-hot Hawks.
Since firing Lloyd Pierce and hiring Nate McMillan as interim head coach, Atlanta has the equal best record in the league, 15-6, which is tied with Phoenix. Currently, the Hawks are on a three game winning streak and most recently, they picked up a 108-103 road win over the Raptors on Tuesday night.
Trae Young has been instrumental to their uptick, averaging over 25 points and nine assists over the last two weeks, but without him on Tuesday Bogdan Bogdanovic stepped up to score a team high 23 points while Clint Capela had 19 points and 21 rebounds, his third 20+ rebound game of the season.
Welcome to NATE MCMILLAN’S Atlanta Hawks! 😮
18-6 record since McMillan took over & Hawks are now 4th in the East with a 30-25 record!
Hawks beat Raptors tonight, 108-103, behind 19 PTS & 21 REB from Clint Capela. pic.twitter.com/bz3VGyFHEo
— NBA Buzz (@OfficialNBABuzz) April 14, 2021
On the other side of the ball, Milwaukee really have been struggling without their MVP, going just 3-3 over the last six games. Their current two win streak is following a three game losing streak and the two teams they beat have a combined win percentage of 0.288.
In last night’s 130-105 win in Minnesota, Khris Middleton took the lead, putting up 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while Brook Lopez dominated the interior with 18 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. The issue for the Bucks is that their last two back to back sets saw them losing to Charlotte at home and only beat the Kings by one.
Both Antetokounmpo and Young are still listed as just probable for this clash and overall, the Bucks have a deeper roster to be able to replace their star, but on the second night of a back to back, that may be pushed to its limits. Milwaukee are just 4-4 when playing with no rest and we think there is some serious value with the Hawks, at least until the injury report updates.
NBA Pick – Atlanta Hawks (+215)
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Golden State Warriors @ Cleveland Cavaliers – 8PM ET
The Steph Curry show continues in Cleveland as the Golden State Warriors roll into Northeast Ohio to face the Cavs tonight. The former back to back MVP has scored 30+ in his last seven games and is a driving force behind the Warriors push up the standings.
Golden State have won three straight games, seeing them jump the Spurs for ninth in the West and are now just 1.5 games behind Memphis in eighth. Performances like last night’s 147-109 win in Oklahoma are the right way to go about continuing to climb up the standings.
Curry finished with 42 points, eight assists and no turnovers, shooting 11/16 from deep and being able to sit out the entire fourth quarter. Draymond Green also enjoyed the lesser opposition, putting up a massive statline with 12 points, 16 assists, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Whether the pair get the night off or not after their spectacular performances is an interesting question, but given both played just 30 minutes and got a headstart on their rest, they should be raring to go for their matchup with the struggling Cavs.
Last night’s 103-90 win in Charlotte snapped a two game losing streak but Cleveland have gone just 3-7 over their last 10 games and slipped to 13th in the East. Collin Sexton missed again last night, which allowed Taurean Prince to get an increased roll off the bench with a team high 25 points and Darius Garland got more of the ball handling responsibility with 17 points and seven assists.
Golden State are 5-3 as road favorites this season and as long as the Warriors have Steph Curry in uniform, they are going to be favored in most games they play, especially against a lacklustre Cavaliers outfit.
NBA Pick – Golden State Warriors (-340)
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Boston Celtics @ Los Angeles Lakers – 10PM ET
We have a marquee matchup between the oldest rivals in basketball as the Los Angeles Lakers return home to host the Boston Celtics. The Lakers have impressed, returning to LA going 3-2 over their five game trip but the Celtics have won four straight games, including their last two on the road, and have revenge on their minds after a tough one point loss when these sides met in Boston.
Still on the road to recovery from COVID-19, Jayson Tatum has been on fire of late, scoring 20+ in 11 straight games and averaging 34.5 points per game over the Celtics four game streak. In their 116-115 win in Portland on Tuesday, he had a game high 32 points, team high nine rebounds while adding five assists and four threes.
His play has been complimented by Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker, who both scored 20+ on Tuesday night and they will need to bring their best again tonight against a Lakers side that has surprised many with their good form.
Marcus Smart with the crazy hustle then steal + intentional missed free throw at the end of the Celtics win. pic.twitter.com/LaLuqmO3oU
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) April 14, 2021
LA have gone an impressive 5-6 with no Anthony Davis or LeBron James and are still working through the tough process of integrating Andre Drummond into the playbook. The big man scored just four points in LA’s 101-93 win in Charlotte with Kyle Kuzma dominating the offense with 24 points.
If both teams were fully healthy, this would be a tantalizing matchup but only one team is, the Celtics. Boston have been playing some impressive basketball of late and have proven that the road may not be an issue anymore with wins in Denver and Portland. It will still be close but the Celtics should just win this.
NBA Pick – Boston Celtics (-255)
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Sacramento Kings @ Phoenix Suns – 10PM ET
The Phoenix Suns are looking to add some more misery to the Sacramento Kings, who have lost a league worst eight straight games. Sacramento doesn’t even look like winning games at the moment, losing six of those eight games by 10+ points while Phoenix have won 10 of their last 11 games and are pressing for top of the Western Conference.
On the second night of a back to back, Phoenix easily took care of the Heat, winning 106-86 at home. Given they had some tired legs, the Suns wanted to put this game away early and a 30-16 second quarter did just that. Four different Phoenix bench players reached double figures in the blowout win, helping them prepare for this matchup with the lowly Kings.
Despite De’Aaron Fox leaving everything out on the floor for his team, Sacramento are just really struggling at the moment. Last night, despite 33 points, six assists, six steals and five rebounds from their guard, the Kings still lost 111-123 to Washington at home. While offense never seems to be an issue, their defense is deplorable, ranking last in the league for defensive rating and second last for points allowed per game.
Phoenix on the other hand are the fifth best team for both offensive and defensive rating whilst having a 22-8 home record for the season. This really isn’t a question of who, but by how much. The Suns should simply run away with this one and it is just a matter of whether they cover the 9.5 point spread on offer.
NBA Pick – Phoenix Suns (-450)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
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